"嘻——，没羞，这酒馆什么时候成了你的啦？八字还没一撇------." 桂花姐伸出一个指头，轻轻刮了刮他的鼻子。(古华《贞女》）

"What ever happened to modesty?" Since when did this so-called inn become yours? Aren't you jumping the gun--- " She reached up and touched his nose lightly--- shame on him. （葛浩文翻译）

不理解，请教点评

My comments:

Jumping the gun is a sporting term originally.

Next time you watch a 100-meter dash at the Olympics on live TV, watch closely.

The race begins when runners hear the sound of a gunshot, or pistol shot to be more precise - which is the signal used today to tell the players it’s time to run.

Before that, though, you’ll hear the announcer say “On your marks…. Get set”. Those are calls for the runners to move to their designated starting spots and get ready to “Go”, which shout-out is replaced now by the pistol shot in any formal sports meet.

Anyways, one or two over-eager players may move their feet before they hear the shot and that’s a foul punishable by a warning for a first time offense and by expulsion for the second time.

And that foul, a violation of rules, is called “jumping the gun”, meaning you’ve done something before their proper time or before it’s your turn.

In other words, you’re in too much of haste.

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本文仅代表作者本人观点，与本网立场无关。欢迎大家讨论学术问题，尊重他人，禁止人身攻击和发布一切违反国家现行法律法规的内容。

About the author:

Zhang Xin（张欣） has been with China Daily since 1988, when he graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University. Write him at: zhangxin@chinadaily.com.cn, or raise a question for potential use in a future column.